Formstack and Zapier—two tech organizations with remote cultures—have teamed up to bring you some awesome remote workspaces! Part two of our two-part series showcases eight of our favorite workspaces outside the home.
In our last post, we brought you 14 awesome home office workspaces from remote employees at Formstack and Zapier. While the majority of our remote employees work from a home office, some prefer to work from a coworking space, coffee shops, or wherever their MacBook has a secure wifi connection! These options allow employees to separate their work life from their home life, and have an added benefit of human interaction outside of the home. Enjoy, and let us know which ones you like best!
Coworking Spaces
Coworking spaces usually have private offices, designated desks, meeting rooms, common areas, and kitchens—much like a regular office environment. Here are a few examples:
1. Aaron White, Kayce Reed-Buechlein, and Amanda West-Bookwalter (Formstack) — Bloomington, IN
Workspace Setup: Three Formstackers in Bloomington have memberships to the Cowork Btown coworking space, which was co-founded by Formstacker Aaron White. Membership includes access to desks, conference and call rooms, a lounge, and a kitchen with free coffee. There are payment options that vary based on your use of the space, ranging from a $25 visitor day pass to $235/month for 24/7 access and a desk, chair, and locker to call your own—with more affordable part- and full-time options in between.
Favorite Remote Perk (Aaron): I love the flexibility of working from where I’m most productive. I split my time at my home office and at Cowork Btown. My home office is still a work in progress at our new house, so when I need to get out of the house for some human interaction, there's no place better in town than Cowork Btown. There’s a great community of people who work there, which provides plenty of chances to stay connected with people in my community (and some of my Formstack coworkers, too!).
2. Dyan Meahl and Duane Hunt (Formstack) — Colorado Springs, CO
Workspace Setup (Dyan): My coworking space provides me with a designated desk, but it also has common working areas and conference and call rooms. Duane has his own office, which gives him extra storage and more privacy. At my desk, you'll find a monitor, keyboard, mouse, headphones, notepads, and snacks!
Favorite Remote Perk (Dyan): Coworking gives you the ability to be around people and get out of your house.
3. Chris Pierce, Engineering Manager at Formstack — Durant, OK
Workspace Setup: I enjoy going into an office to separate work and home. The office has an adjustable sit/stand desk and a sofa that allows me to relax my mind while I think. I also spend large amounts of time staring into my hypnocube. I try to switch between sitting and standing at least half of the day, but I'm not always successful. The power outlets in the floor allow me to configure my desk as a true island, which helps a lot with layout. Last, I have clocks on the wall that are set to the different time zones of my entire team, so I can quickly glance up and see what time it is for someone else without even having to think at all!
Favorite Remote Perk: I love working remotely because I get to work without distractions but still have the ability to reach out and connect with the team if necessary. With today's technology, sitting right next to each other is as easy as a click of a button.
4. Danny Schreiber, Marketing Lead at Zapier — Omaha, NE
Workspace Setup: I work in a shared office space where I'm among others doing creative work. I also prefer to have my laptop propped up on a desk with a stand, bringing my screen to eye level.
Office Quirks That Might Drive Teammates Bonkers: I have a bad habit of cracking my knuckles and neck, which even annoys me sometimes.
Digital Nomads
Some employees are more productive when they're in a new environment, like Formstackers Jeanna Kruse, Danita Delce, and Justin Siples. Jeanna is nearing the end of a yearlong program called Remote Year, which allows her to relocate to a new country every month, and gives her access to living and working accommodations wherever she goes. Justin has an Instagram account dedicated to his remote working adventures—you can follow him at @MyRemoteLife!
5. Jeanna Kruse, Customer Support Specialist at Formstack
Favorite Remote Location: Rabat, Morocco
Workspace Setup: The 7AY coworking space in Rabat is a three-level building with all different types of work style options. There is a comfy first floor with couches and a large living room vibe. The second floor has standard office desks and smaller conference rooms for when you really need to hunker down, plus a rooftop with a large berber tent full of places to sit, a Ping-Pong table, and a small garden.
Favorite Remote Perk: Getting to move around during the day. There is nothing worse for me than being stuck at a desk when I’m also stuck on an issue. Being able to relocate helps me pivot and figure out the solution.
6. Craig Labenz, Full Stack Engineer at Zapier
Craig didn't have much to say about his life as a digital nomad, but we sure love his tropical view and festive drink umbrella!
7. Danita Delce, Product Designer at Formstack
Favorite Remote Location: It's a tie between Toronto, CA and Guadalajara, MX. They're the Silicon Valleys of our neighbors to the north and to the south. Toronto has more tech meetups but Guadalajara has cheaper, better tacos.
Workspace Setup: I generally try to work from home at least half of the time. So I look for apartments that have a desk or a chair and table. The other half of the time, I work from cafes or coworking spaces. I always have my laptop and headphones. Sometimes I add an external travel monitor and external mouse.
Favorite Remote Perk: I can work from wherever makes sense for what I'm working on that day. If I have a lot of meetings scheduled or really need to focus, I can work from home, where I can control the noise level. If I have a slower day, or need a change of environment, I can work from a cafe or coworking space.
8. Justin Siples, QA Engineer at Formstack (@MyRemoteLife)
Favorite Remote Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Workspace Setup: Amsterdam has what seems like an infinite number of cafes along the canals that are perfect to work from anytime of year. Every cafe I visited was filled with friendly people, great coffee, local beers, and an incredible view.
Favorite Remote Perk: Working in an amazing remote culture allows you to actually live your life. You’re not bound to a cubicle or city that you don’t like—you can get outside and go anywhere. Some of us find freedom in being able to live anywhere we want, and others prefer to travel and always look for something new.
Additional Notes
Being part of a remote company offers perks like working from home in sweatpants and hanging out with our pets during the workday, but we're also part a unique company culture that values transparency, communication, results, and fun! One of the best parts of remote work is that we're able to go wherever we work best—meaning we have the freedom to find or create an environment that allows us to be productive and get the job done!
Remote Year allows employees to work from their laptops as they travel the world. Check out the story below of one Formstack's employees experience on her journey with Remote Year!
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